The Termite Guy FAQs

Our technician will call or text ahead, walk the property with you if you're home, and explain findings and next steps in plain language before leaving you with a written report. There's no pressure to decide on treatment on the spot — you'll have the information you need to make the right call for your home.

Worker ants are constantly searching for food and water, and once they find a source — an open trash can, pet food bowl, or aphid honeydew in the garden — they lay a pheromone trail that quickly draws the rest of the colony. That fast, coordinated communication is why ant problems can escalate from a few ants to a real infestation within days.

Most ants found around Southern California homes are nuisance pests that contaminate food and surfaces rather than posing a direct health threat. A few species, including fire ants, can deliver painful stings or trigger allergic reactions, so it's worth identifying what you're dealing with.

Store-bought sprays often only kill the ants you can see, leaving the colony and queen untouched to rebuild. A professional treatment targets the colony itself — our team will identify which species you're dealing with before recommending a treatment plan.

Cockroaches need easy access to food, water, and shelter, and they reproduce quickly once they find it. They typically enter through cracks and crevices, hitchhike in on boxes or used furniture, and thrive wherever clutter or moisture builds up.

Yes — cockroaches can carry and spread bacteria like salmonella and E. coli by contaminating food and surfaces, and their droppings and shed skin can trigger allergies and asthma symptoms. They're considered a genuine public health concern, not just an unpleasant nuisance.

German cockroaches are small (about ½ inch) with two dark stripes behind the head and are the most common indoor species. American cockroaches are larger (up to 1.5–2 inches), reddish-brown, and often called palmetto bugs. Oriental cockroaches are dark, prefer damp areas like basements and drains, and are sometimes called water bugs.

Because cockroaches reproduce quickly and hide in tiny cracks, DIY sprays rarely solve an established infestation. Our integrated approach combines multiple treatment methods to eliminate roaches at the source, along with guidance on sealing entry points and removing the conditions that attracted them.

Rodents are drawn to easy access to food, water, and shelter — and your home offers all three. Older homes with exterior cracks, properties near active construction, and sudden weather changes can all increase rodent activity nearby.

Roof rats are excellent climbers, often nesting in attics and upper structures, and can scale walls and tree branches with ease. Norway rats are larger, prefer ground level or below, and burrow extensively, sometimes undermining foundations. House mice are far smaller and can squeeze through holes as small as a quarter-inch.

Look for droppings, gnaw marks on wood or wiring, greasy rub marks along walls, and scratching sounds at night, especially in attics and wall voids. Seeing even one rodent during the day often means there's an established population you haven't fully detected yet.

Rodents are much more than a nuisance. They can chew through electrical wiring, creating a serious fire hazard, contaminate stored food, and spread bacteria, parasites, and viruses through their droppings, urine, and saliva. In some cases, rodents can carry diseases such as Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, which can be transmitted by breathing in airborne particles from contaminated rodent droppings or urine. The property damage and potential health risks often far outweigh what most people expect from "just a mouse."

Spiders move indoors looking for food, warmth, and undisturbed places to build webs — a spider infestation isn't a sign of poor housekeeping, it's usually a sign there's an available food source (other insects) or easy entry points. High humidity and a lack of natural predators can also play a role.

Black widows are shiny black with a red hourglass marking on the underside; brown widows are mottled tan to dark brown with an orange or yellow hourglass and have distinctively spiky egg sacs. Brown widows are generally less dangerous, since they inject less venom and are less aggressive, but both warrant caution.

Black widow bites can cause severe pain, muscle cramps, and other whole-body symptoms, making them a medical concern. Brown widow venom is similarly potent, but brown widows are less likely to bite and typically inject less venom, so their bites are usually less severe. If you're bitten by either spider, seek medical attention—especially if symptoms worsen, you're a child, an older adult, or you have underlying health conditions.

Basements, attics, garages, and cluttered storage areas are the most common spots, since they're dark, undisturbed, and offer good web-building corners. Outdoors, woodpiles, eaves, and dense vegetation near the foundation are frequent hiding spots as well.

Wasps are drawn to easy food sources — nectar, fruit, or other insects — and to good nesting spots like ground holes, window frames, or roof overhangs. Once a nest is established nearby, foraging wasps will keep showing up around your property.

It depends on the species. Social wasps like yellow jackets and hornets are far more likely to sting, especially to defend a nest, and can swarm in large numbers when threatened. Solitary species, like most mud daubers, are much less aggressive.

We don't recommend it, especially for yellow jacket or hornet nests — disturbing them can trigger a defensive swarm resulting in multiple stings. Professional removal accounts for the species and nest location to remove it safely.

Keep outdoor trash cans tightly covered, avoid leaving fallen fruit on the ground, and address any existing insect infestations wasps might be preying on. Sealing potential nesting cavities around eaves, vents, and siding gaps also helps.